Make Ahead

Glazed Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

by:
June 12, 2013
5
1 Ratings
Glazed Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

A classic go-to every-day cake. While it takes a bit of time to bake (being so moist and dense), it comes together in a flash and has incredible texture and an intense tart citrus flavor. This cake is incredible eaten cold after a few days, or toasted with a drizzle of thick raw cream. It also plays perfectly as a foundation recipe for many substitutions (a mix of sour cream, buttermilk, plain milk, or creme fraiche can stand in for part of the yogurt; switch in any citrus you like or a combination of a few; make it sweeter or less sweet to taste; add poppy seeds or toasted shredded coconut to the batter for crunch). —Posie (Harwood) Brien

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or olive oil for a fruitier tasting cake)
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup creme fraiche
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, creme fraiche, milk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, grapefruit zest, and vanilla.
  4. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean. It may take closer to an hour but check at 50 minutes.
  6. Right before the cake is ready, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
  7. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, poke tiny holes into the cake using a skewer or chopstick and pour the grapefruit-sugar mixture all over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • MrsBeeton
    MrsBeeton
  • belgagal
    belgagal
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien
  • Flourgirl
    Flourgirl

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5 Reviews

Flourgirl
Flourgirl May 5, 2025
Excellent!! But, it needs a rewrite! The ingredient list doesn’t show the sugar and items are crazily listed out of order. So…I messed up (my fault for not reading it through more than once). But I’ll mess it up again as it turned out amazing! I accidentally added the juice to the wet ingredients and then decided I may as well just add the oil too. Since I knew it would end up too wet, I added about 3/4 cup almond flour and it was perfect! I used tangelo instead of grapefruit, & added a few drops of Doterra tangerine oil as I like my citrus flavor to shine. So good! Also, I use the microwave to make the glaze quicker. Mine was toothpick mostly clean at 62 minutes. A keeper!
 
MrsBeeton
MrsBeeton February 17, 2019
Wonderful--thanks for this recipe. I ate a version of this cake at a wonderful coffee shop in Tempe AZ. They added poppy seeds to the cake, and dipped a corner of the little loaves (after having been baked) into hibiscus powder--beautiful, and a delicious, explosive tang that made the cake utterly memorable. I am going to try this when I can locate some hibiscus powder!
 
belgagal
belgagal January 26, 2017
I just made this cake this evening with one slight change, which was to substitute fine almond flour for some (not all) of the all purpose flour. I used one cup APF and 1/2 cup of almond flour. It was a delicious, moist tender cake with a hint of grapefruit. Next time I plan to add some candied grapefruit peels (which I normally prepare as candies dipped in dark chocolate). I often have some remaining bits and pieces of candied citrus peels that I incorporate into baking projects, with wonderful results.
 
plainhomecook
plainhomecook June 18, 2013
This looks really interesting but could you edit to add quantities of wet ingredients (yogurt, creme fraiche, milk)? Thanks!
 
Posie (.
Posie (. June 28, 2013
Sorry about that! It's updated now! Hope you enjoy